Art, Symbol & Imagination
Thel Sees the Worm: Section III
A small child flies through a blue upper field towards a standing woman with open arms. Long grass and curling stems trace the edge of the scene. Below, Thel sees the helpless Worm and the Clod of Clay rises to offer care, connecting the page’s figures with the poem’s concern for vulnerable life.
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Citation
William Blake. "Thel Sees the Worm: Section III" [editorial title]. In The Book of Thel, William Blake. Eight-plate digital facsimile assembled from individually catalogued Yale Center for British Art photographs; historical title dated 1789. Google Art Project images via Wikimedia Commons., undated edition, William Blake (historical plates). Source scan leaf 6. Lumitheca. /gallery/image/thel-worm
Source details
Editorial title and description. Source details from the Library catalogue.
Historical source image. Editorial titles and interpretations are identified as such; paper tone and historical marks retained.
Sources
From the book
The Book of ThelWilliam BlakeUndated editionMore from this book
The Book of Thel: Lettering and Entwined Figures
Thel’s Lament beneath the Branching Title
Thel and the Lilly beneath the WillowRelated illustrations
Explore in the Codex
Entries that reference this illustration.
- The Clod of Clay in ThelThe nurturing earth that tends the Worm and invites Thel into its house without compelling her to remain.
- The Cloud in ThelThe passing Cloud that describes disappearance as renewal through dew, flowers and a returning life.
- The Worm in ThelThe helpless, infant-like creature whose vulnerability draws the Clod of Clay’s care.
Cite this illustration
William Blake. Thel Sees the Worm: Section III. The Book of Thel. Scan leaf 6. Lumitheca. https://lumitheca.com/gallery/image/thel-worm